Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Yard of the Week: Ranch Home Opens Up to Indoor-Outdoor Living
A home and landscape makeover near Denver creates harmony and connection between interior and exterior spaces
With their second child on the way, a couple living in a home on an infill lot in Denver realized that their need for more space was becoming more urgent. “The little lot wasn’t going to last for their family for very long,” architect Paul Mahony says. Additionally, they were ready for a home with a large yard where they could spend time outdoors with their kids.
One of the homeowners works in real estate and had admired the Bow Mar area. The town, which is outside Denver, is known for its large lots, community feel and one-story limit on residential homes. There’s very little turnover. So when a 1970s ranch house became available, the couple jumped at the chance to put down roots there and purchased it.
One of the homeowners works in real estate and had admired the Bow Mar area. The town, which is outside Denver, is known for its large lots, community feel and one-story limit on residential homes. There’s very little turnover. So when a 1970s ranch house became available, the couple jumped at the chance to put down roots there and purchased it.
After: The renovation of the entire property took place before the homeowners moved in, which helped the architects create a cohesive design that flows smoothly from the indoors out. “Every room we moved into, we made the windows bigger and added more of them,” Mahony says.
They replaced the home’s siding, and painted and repaired the existing brick to create a clean white exterior. They added a new roof and replaced the trim, windows and doors. “A high-contrast palette of creamy white and black gives the exterior’s board-and-batten and brick siding a refreshed and contemporary look,” Mahony says. New stained wood garage doors and coordinating shutters add a warm, cozy feel.
A major piece of the remodel involved relocating the kitchen from the front of the house (where the brick chimney is in the previous photo) to the back. This opened up the living space and allowed the team to replace the chimney with a large window.
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They replaced the home’s siding, and painted and repaired the existing brick to create a clean white exterior. They added a new roof and replaced the trim, windows and doors. “A high-contrast palette of creamy white and black gives the exterior’s board-and-batten and brick siding a refreshed and contemporary look,” Mahony says. New stained wood garage doors and coordinating shutters add a warm, cozy feel.
A major piece of the remodel involved relocating the kitchen from the front of the house (where the brick chimney is in the previous photo) to the back. This opened up the living space and allowed the team to replace the chimney with a large window.
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Outdoors, the team tackled the front yard and porch first. They added a front auto court for visitor parking. From there, a series of low walls enhances the feeling of an enclosed front courtyard. “We wanted the patio to feel like it was OK to sit and relax out there, and not just be something to walk through to get to the front door,” Mahony says. They kept the front door in the same place but replaced the solid wood with glass French doors.
A collaborative design process ensured a beautiful indoor-outdoor connection. “As with most of our projects, it was really a team approach,” Mahony says. The architecture team identified where the outdoor living areas would go and how they would flow with the home. “Then it rolled over to the landscape firm, and they refined the design of those spaces,” Mahony says. Additionally, the interior designer helped select materials and colors for the exteriors that would complement the interior spaces.
Path lights: Kichler; additional landscape lighting: FX Luminaire
A collaborative design process ensured a beautiful indoor-outdoor connection. “As with most of our projects, it was really a team approach,” Mahony says. The architecture team identified where the outdoor living areas would go and how they would flow with the home. “Then it rolled over to the landscape firm, and they refined the design of those spaces,” Mahony says. Additionally, the interior designer helped select materials and colors for the exteriors that would complement the interior spaces.
Path lights: Kichler; additional landscape lighting: FX Luminaire
They transformed the former kitchen into a den, adding lots of windows to brighten up the space, and a new door leads to the front porch. An existing door on the opposite side connects with the driveway.
The parents envision that as the kids get older, they’ll use the driveway for basketball or other outdoor games. Having the windows and doors makes it easier to get outside and to see what’s going on. “I realized it’s really cool that you can have kids in the driveway while you can still have visual connection to them from inside the house. [It was] one reason we created transparency from both sides of the den,” Mahony says.
Privacy wasn’t much of a concern for this project. The house sits back from the street, and existing plantings between the house and the street provide screening.
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The parents envision that as the kids get older, they’ll use the driveway for basketball or other outdoor games. Having the windows and doors makes it easier to get outside and to see what’s going on. “I realized it’s really cool that you can have kids in the driveway while you can still have visual connection to them from inside the house. [It was] one reason we created transparency from both sides of the den,” Mahony says.
Privacy wasn’t much of a concern for this project. The house sits back from the street, and existing plantings between the house and the street provide screening.
10 Wonderful White Paint Colors for Home Exteriors
The design’s clean aesthetic continues with the plants. “We used fewer varieties and massed them in large groupings,” says landscape designer Paul Wrona, cofounder and principal at Elevate by Design. The team evenly spaced clumps of ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone) in the entry court, adding texture, fluidity and a pleasing rhythm to the space and softening the low brick walls.
They opted for plants in a mostly green-and-white color scheme. Massed ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Velvet’, zones 5 to 8) and ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, zones 3 to 9) are nestled in around the reed grass, complementing and subtly popping against the home’s white facade.
They opted for plants in a mostly green-and-white color scheme. Massed ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Velvet’, zones 5 to 8) and ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, zones 3 to 9) are nestled in around the reed grass, complementing and subtly popping against the home’s white facade.
Before: The back of the house before the renovation was also dark, featured small windows and had little indoor-outdoor connection. And unlike in the front yard, where the team improved the existing entry experience, here they pretty much started from scratch. As this is where the homeowners were planning to spend most of their time outside, the team focused much of their effort here.
The fireplace seen here was also moved during the remodel. (The new chimney is seen in the next photo.) “The original fireplace location blocked the home’s connection and views of the outdoor spaces beyond. Moving the fireplace allowed us to open up the back wall of the home with oversized sliding glass doors,” Mahony says.
The fireplace seen here was also moved during the remodel. (The new chimney is seen in the next photo.) “The original fireplace location blocked the home’s connection and views of the outdoor spaces beyond. Moving the fireplace allowed us to open up the back wall of the home with oversized sliding glass doors,” Mahony says.
After: Nowhere has the homeowners’ wish for an improved indoor-outdoor connection and better outdoor living been more realized than in the backyard. “They wanted to be able to eat out there, live and relax out there, and not have to run inside if we get our afternoon rain shower that lasts 10 minutes,” Mahony says.
The new space features an outdoor kitchen, bar, dining area and fireplace lounge, with the dining area completely sheltered by a new shade structure. Additionally, a large pass-through window and sliding glass wall open up the kitchen and living areas to the backyard.
The new space features an outdoor kitchen, bar, dining area and fireplace lounge, with the dining area completely sheltered by a new shade structure. Additionally, a large pass-through window and sliding glass wall open up the kitchen and living areas to the backyard.
As part of the remodel, the team moved the interior kitchen to the back of the house and added 758 square feet to the home. (Neighborhood height restrictions prevented a second-story addition.) The architects vaulted the kitchen’s ceiling and chose a gable roof for the addition, adding airiness while maintaining continuity in the home’s roofline.
The pass-through window creates a smooth connection between the indoor kitchen and the backyard grill space. The outdoor kitchen is a custom prefabricated powder-coated metal design by Artisan and features a grill, refrigerator and bar area.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
The pass-through window creates a smooth connection between the indoor kitchen and the backyard grill space. The outdoor kitchen is a custom prefabricated powder-coated metal design by Artisan and features a grill, refrigerator and bar area.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
Photo by Kimberly Gavin
A new pergola allows the homeowners to enjoy their backyard space during most weather, as its roof is a louver that can be opened and closed. Mounted heaters, ceiling fans, integrated lighting and internal drains also extend the use of the space. Three wings of the house surround the covered patio, with doors on all walls connecting the indoor and outdoor spaces.
“The size [of the pergola] was driven by the desire for the amount of protected space on the patio and not wanting to battle posts against the house, or have to deal with them competing with the overhangs, so we went above the roof,” Mahony says.
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A new pergola allows the homeowners to enjoy their backyard space during most weather, as its roof is a louver that can be opened and closed. Mounted heaters, ceiling fans, integrated lighting and internal drains also extend the use of the space. Three wings of the house surround the covered patio, with doors on all walls connecting the indoor and outdoor spaces.
“The size [of the pergola] was driven by the desire for the amount of protected space on the patio and not wanting to battle posts against the house, or have to deal with them competing with the overhangs, so we went above the roof,” Mahony says.
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On the other side of the dining area, a fireplace lounge opens up to the rest of the backyard. The open fireplace features brick that matches the house. A powder-coated chimney cap, a firebrick firebox and a precast concrete hearth. The see-through design keeps views from the house out to the landscape clear.
The yard’s planted areas frame the outdoor area and screen a neighboring home. “There were several large pine and spruce trees on the perimeter of the lot. We wanted to preserve as many of them as we could,” Wrona says. His team filled in the space with additional plants, chosen for their beneficial qualities.
The plant list includes: Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis, zones 4 to 9), ‘Autumn Brilliance’ serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, zones 4 to 9), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides, zones 1 to 7) and Colorado spruce (Picea pungens, zones 2 to 7) trees. For fragrance and color, they planted Bloomerang Purple lilac (Syringa x ‘Penda’, zones 3 to 7), Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii, zones 4 to 8), ‘Betty’ magnolia (Magnolia ‘Betty’, zones 3 to 8) and peony shrubs. As an understory layer, they used Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, zones 4 to 9), hostas, coral bells (Heuchera sp.) and Carex grass.
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The yard’s planted areas frame the outdoor area and screen a neighboring home. “There were several large pine and spruce trees on the perimeter of the lot. We wanted to preserve as many of them as we could,” Wrona says. His team filled in the space with additional plants, chosen for their beneficial qualities.
The plant list includes: Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis, zones 4 to 9), ‘Autumn Brilliance’ serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, zones 4 to 9), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides, zones 1 to 7) and Colorado spruce (Picea pungens, zones 2 to 7) trees. For fragrance and color, they planted Bloomerang Purple lilac (Syringa x ‘Penda’, zones 3 to 7), Korean spice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii, zones 4 to 8), ‘Betty’ magnolia (Magnolia ‘Betty’, zones 3 to 8) and peony shrubs. As an understory layer, they used Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, zones 4 to 9), hostas, coral bells (Heuchera sp.) and Carex grass.
Work with a landscape designer in your area
The project is a great example of how professional collaboration can drive the design forward. “It was really a team effort,” Mahony says. “I think I had an idea for a fire pit, and [the landscape designers] had the idea for the fireplace,” he says. “They really upped the level with the great big fireplace.”
See more photos of this whole house remodel
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See more photos of this whole house remodel
More on Houzz
Get inspired by landscape photos
Find a pro for your home or garden project
Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with two young children
Location: Bow Mar, Colorado
Size: About three-fourths of an acre
Designers: KGA Studio Architects (architecture), Elevate by Design (landscape architecture) and Kaleidoscope Design (interior design)
Builder: Harko Construction
Before: The home had undergone minimal renovations over the years and was clearly showing its age. “The existing house was dark and foreboding,” says Mahony, a senior partner at KGA Studio Architects, which oversaw the renovation. There were limited windows, especially in the front of the house, and the brown color palette didn’t provide the light, airy feeling the homeowners wanted. Additionally, materials were starting to disintegrate, especially on the exterior. The landscaping hadn’t been maintained and was overgrown, making the yard not very usable.
The homeowners loved the idea of a ranch house layout, with its open, relaxed, single-level living. By tackling a complete home-and-landscape renovation at once, they hoped to improve their home’s flow, style and indoor-outdoor connection to better support their family and lifestyle. “[The homes] are very landscape-oriented, and the lots are big [in Bow Mar],” Mahony says. “When you walk on-site, you get a feeling of truly suburban.”